Easter candle
The Easter candle ( Latin Cereus paschalis ) is a large candle from beeswax which in the liturgy of the Western churches ( Roman Catholic , Old Catholic , Anglican and Lutheran Church ) at the beginning of the Easter Vigil on Easter fire prepared, dedicated and ignited.
Similar to the Easter candle, a special trikirion is in use in the Orthodox churches of the Byzantine rite in the week from Easter Vigil to the first Sunday after Easter . Every priest may use this during the celebration, in contrast to the candlestick with the three candles with which the bishop blesses during the liturgy during the year. The shape, color and arrangement of this Easter trikirion are not strictly prescribed, the candles can be different and connected to one another in different ways, a stable chandelier is not necessary.
history
The custom of lighting a special candle on Easter is very old. The oldest written evidence is from the fourth century (Letter 18 from Saint Jerome to the deacon, Presidius of Piazenza, from 384). This custom is based on a pagan tradition. In ancient times, sacrifice often included a hymn in which the god to whom the sacrifice was made was praised. The Easter candle is originally a burnt offering and the Easter hymn of praise, the Exsultet (this name is derived from the first word of the Latin text, similar to other prayers), is similar to a hymn, but actually a sung homily that ends in a prefation . In addition to the pagan origin, which has actually been completely forgotten, and which is perhaps only known to us in the form of the Olympic flame , an own interpretation of the Easter candle soon developed. In the pure "body" of the candle made of expensive, bleached beeswax , one saw a symbol for the human nature of Christ or for his transfigured body after the resurrection , while the flame was understood as a sign of his divine nature. The flame was no longer to be nourished by burning, foul-smelling animal bodies, but by pure, fragrant elements (beeswax, oil and papyrus , which was used for the wick). The Easter candle is a burnt offering that is offered to God in the liturgy and can be compared with other sacrificial practices .
Manufacturing
The candle is drawn from liquid wax. By the middle of the second century at the latest, wax candles were so well developed that they could be used in closed rooms without being annoying due to soot and unpleasant smells. The material of which the candle is made is especially appreciated in the Easter praise ("Because the flame is nourished by the melting wax that the diligence of the bees has prepared for this candle.") Beeswax was considered to be very valuable because it involved laborious work and thanks to the hardworking and virginal "mother bee". The industry of bees is rightly praised in detail, at least in the original version of the Gallican Easter praise.
Symbolization
The Easter candle is related to both paganism, because of its origin, and also to Judaism . It is considered a pure offering to God and is the pillar of fire of the New Covenant . Just as the people of Israel went back then through the desert and through the Red Sea , following the pillar of fire, so today Christians enter the church on Easter vigil and follow the burning flame of the candle, a sign of the risen Christ .
For centuries, the Easter candle was only decorated with flowers and leaves. Due to its size, it represents the new tree of life . The old enemy, death, who triumphed on the tree, was defeated on the tree itself. The usual symbols, cross, year and “ Alpha ” ( ) and “ Omega ” ( ) (first and last letter of the Greek alphabet ) did not appear until the end of the 9th century. The red or gold wax nails common today, symbols for the wounds of Christ , are alien to the old tradition of the Easter candle. When the Easter candle is lit and the call Lumen Christi rings out, it is the sign that death must give way to life and darkness to light.
liturgy
Usually the Easter fire is lit in front of the church. The deacon or priest says the prayers for the consecration of the Easter fire and the preparation of the Easter candle and lights them with the help of a wick at the light of the Easter fire. He then moves into the still dark church in front of the congregation with the Easter candle under the threefold repeated cry of Lumen Christi (“Christ, the light”). The congregation responds with Deo gratias (“Thanks be to God”). Then the Easter candle is placed on the candlestick in the chancel next to the ambo , and the deacon or priest sings Easter praise .
Starting from the Easter candle, the light is passed on to those celebrating, who bring their own candles and hold them in their hands when praising Easter and renewing the baptism promise : The light and warmth of Christ should also kindle the hearts of the believers. Above all, the own candle reminds the believers of their baptism and the commission to live as “children of light”. On Ascension Day , the Easter candle is in some places after the Gospel wiped out to make symbolic significantly the vaginal Christ from the earth and the tailgating in the sky. The candlestick with the Easter candle stays everywhere in the chancel during Easter ; after Pentecost it will be placed in the baptistery . At christening ceremonies , the christening candle is lit on it , at weddings , virgin consecrations , dressings and solemn religious vows , the candle of the celebrant is lit at the Easter candle. At the funeral , the Easter candle is on the coffin of the deceased.
Until the Holy Week reform of the Roman rite by Pope Pius XII. From 1951 the flame taken from the Easter fire (similar to Byzantine practice) was used to light a candlestick with three candles (which were supposed to symbolize the three weeping women at the grave): The deacon or priest moved into the church with this candlestick, where the first who lit three candles on the candlestick; he raised the candlestick with the cry Lumen Christi , which the congregation answered with Deo gratias . At two other places on the way to the chancel, the other two candles were lit with the same calls in higher tones. At the exsult, the deacon interrupted the chant at two fixed points in order to insert five grains of incense as a symbol for the five wounds of Christ in the prepared hollows of the Easter candle and to light them on the candlestick brought from the Easter fire; only then was their light passed on to other candles in the room.
Easter candles can also be found increasingly in Protestant churches. Contrary to the custom in the Roman Catholic Church, these are usually lit during the entire church year during worship.
In many places there are particularly artistically designed Easter candlesticks for the Easter candle .
Individual evidence
- ↑ In older descriptions of these rites with sources, a candle made of three thin candles was used to light the fire and to light the Easter candle. Compare Johann Kutschker: The holy customs that are observed in the Catholic Church (ritus latini) from the Sunday Septuagesima to Easter. Braumüller and Seidel, Vienna 1843. ( limited preview in the Google book search; accessed on April 20, 2017).
- ↑ http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2009/04/compendium-of-1955-holy-week-revisions_09.html
literature
- Clara Vasseur: Rediscovering the old. The rich symbolism of the Easter candle. Beuroner-Kunstverlag, Beuron 2007, ISBN 978-3-87071-160-3 .
